One of the main purposes of firefighting clothing is to increase the probability of surviving a flashover.
Protection against thermal agents, bacteria, liquids, and physical hazards are also of great importance, however, one of the main functions of the garment is to protect the body from a possible flashover. Many times, when there is a flashover, the garment is charred, brittle, in precarious conditions. However, if manufactured by specialists and with quality fabrics and trims, it fulfills its function of protecting the firefighter.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, a firefighting outfit should be elaborated foreseeing the main factors of a fire (besides flashover) such as: mechanical protection, breathability, flame resistance, resistance to conductive heat, and heat by compression.
For this range of protection, the garment usually has 3 layers of fabric, which are the outer layer, moisture barrier and thermal barrier.